Character and Attitude Are Not the Same Thing

Core thought: “My character is about who I am; my attitude is about who you are.”

People often mistake someone’s attitude for their character. Yet attitude is the product of an encounter; character is the essence. Someone being distant is not always arrogance; sometimes it is protection. Appearing harsh is not always cruelty; sometimes it is a defense gained through experience.

Those who cannot make this distinction read people from the surface and are often mistaken. To understand someone, one must look not only at the reaction, but at the principle behind that reaction.